


Precipice

by vassalady



Category: Justice League - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Ficlet, Implied Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 07:16:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6109158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vassalady/pseuds/vassalady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the few moments before Batman kills an evil Superman, he reflects.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Precipice

It shouldn’t have come to this.

Bruce stood above Superman, the gun leveled at his head. He’d already embedded one kryptonite bullet into Superman’s chest. One to the brain would finish him off.

Only they should have never reached this point.

Clark had always understood that he was ultimately corruptible. It was why, one evening over a shared dinner, just Clark and Bruce, Clark had asked Bruce to keep the last of the kryptonite.

Bruce had long ago sworn an oath to never kill. Yet here he was, about to murder the man he cared for most. Superman was too dangerous to keep alive, though. Clark had said it himself.

Bruce listened to the strained breathing, the coughing and gurgling as blood began to fill Superman’s lungs. Like this, he may die anyway, either from his injuries or from the kryptonite poisoning. Bruce couldn’t risk it. He had to make it a sure thing.

Diana had thought there might be another way. Bruce had given her as much time as he dared; she didn’t find another solution. Even so, she still had tried to stop Bruce from going after Superman. Bruce had only just managed to slip by her.

Bruce cocked the gun. 

Life was a sacred thing. Bruce didn’t believe in any deities, but he believed in people, even if he prepared for the worst they had to offer. If he didn’t believe, what was even the point of trying save anyone?

The death of his parents had driven him to become Batman. Bruce had witnessed that certainty through more than one universe. For once, Bruce couldn’t predict what would happen after this death. He’d planned as best he could; Diana was his own contingency should he find he liked killing.

He was uncertain if he would want to live.

Whether he wanted to or not, Bruce knew he would go on living. There were still people out there he needed to stop, and as long as he had breath left him in, he would do that. Alfred used to say there was a difference between surviving and living. Bruce was about to find out if he was right or not.

Bruce held Clark’s gaze as he pulled the trigger.


End file.
